(1) Field of the invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for setting an ink ribbon into a cassette body and an ink ribbon cassette to which the method is applicable, and more particularly to a method for enabling to easily set an ink ribbon into a cassette body, and to an ink ribbon cassette in which an ink ribbon can be easily replaced.
(2) Description of the related art
When an ink ribbon in an ink ribbon cassette has been completely used up in a printer, the ink ribbon must be replaced. In this case, if the whole ink ribbon cassette including the ink ribbon is changed to new one, a running cost of the printer increases and resources are wasted. Thus, an ink ribbon cassette has been proposed in which only an ink ribbon can be replaced.
In a conventional ink ribbon cassette, an ink ribbon is wound to a supply ribbon core and an end of the ink ribbon is fixed on a take-up ribbon core. Both the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core are rotatably mounted in a cassette body. While a printing operation is being performed, the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core are rotated in a predetermined direction so that the ink ribbon moves from the supply ribbon core to the take-up ribbon core. The ink ribbon is thus wound to the take-up ribbon core.
When the ink ribbon is replaced, the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core to which a used ink ribbon has been wound are removed from the cassette body, and a new supply ribbon core, having a new ink ribbon wound thereon, and a new take-up ribbon core are set therein. In this case, the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core are separately removed from the cassette body and separately set therein. Thus, a user must replace the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core by using both hands. That is, as the ink ribbon must be replaced by using both hands, the work required for replacing the ink ribbon is not easy. When one of the supply ribbon core and the take-up ribbon core falls off the cassette body during the replacing of the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon wound to the supply ribbon core becomes loose. In this case, the ink ribbon may no longer be used in the printer. When the ink ribbon is set into a ribbon running path after the supply core and the take-up core are set at predetermined positions in the cassette body, the supply core and the take-up core may be removed from the setting positions.